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Video Games: Can you play evil/bad characters?

Fishking

Fishking

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In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
 
I was comfortable playing the Germans in Company of Heroes, but I suspect you're speaking of a more cinematic experience.
 
I usually start off trying to play good but by the end of the game I am as evil as can be. I’m afraid to think too deeply about what that might mean. :)
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...

I've had a LOT of fun playing the evil character. Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic are a couple of my favorites.
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...

Most games don’t really let you be the bad guy but I enjoy playing games in odd ways
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...


I always play a "good" character. Not perfect, mind you...I'm willing to sacrifice a mercenary-for-hire for the best piece of armor in Skyrim (I donate largely to one of the Nine Divines in penance), and have no problem accepting a contract to take out a bitch-on-wheels hag who abuses the children in her orphanage. Nonetheless, I try to get through an entire game with less than 5 "murders" to my name, although there are always 1 or 2 accidents that I can't figure out what happened, lol! The poor innocents probably got in the way of a careless dragon "shout"! :lol:

Dragon Age and Mass Effect trilogies, same thing. My character always strives to wear the white hat and be the "good" savior of whatever universe she inhabits. Since most RPGs usually have entirely different gaming experiences, quests, and cut-scenes for "good" and "evil", I have on occasion tried to go all "bad girl" just to get a different experience; it usually lasts less than 20 hours before I give it up. It's just no fun for me.
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...

Normally, I'm the same way. If given the option, I'll normally play a character to be as altruistic as possible. Daggerfall was an exception for me . . . I found it more fun to rob all the banks in the outer provinces and have hordes of knights coming after me yelling, 'HALT" repeatedly. I wouldn't be able to force myself to play that way with either Oblivion or Skyrim, have never seen the bad ending to Bioshock, and I even agonize over unneccessary kills in stealth games. I guess that I just tend to take 3d models with voice-acting more seriously?
 
DiAnna said:
I always play a "good" character. Not perfect, mind you...I'm willing to sacrifice a mercenary-for-hire for the best piece of armor in Skyrim (I donate largely to one of the Nine Divines in penance), and have no problem accepting a contract to take out a bitch-on-wheels hag who abuses the children in her orphanage. Nonetheless, I try to get through an entire game with less than 5 "murders" to my name, although there are always 1 or 2 accidents that I can't figure out what happened, lol! The poor innocents probably got in the way of a careless dragon "shout"! :lol:

Dragon Age and Mass Effect trilogies, same thing. My character always strives to wear the white hat and be the "good" savior of whatever universe she inhabits. Since most RPGs usually have entirely different gaming experiences, quests, and cut-scenes for "good" and "evil", I have on occasion tried to go all "bad girl" just to get a different experience; it usually lasts less than 20 hours before I give it up. It's just no fun for me.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain that there's some sort of glitch going on, or some other NPCs got caught up in the cross-fire. Being able to kill allies who go in hacking at an enemy witout any mind to your position of where you're swinging the pointy end of your blade is annoying.
 
DH Kirkwood said:
I'm fairly certain that there's some sort of glitch going on, or some other NPCs got caught up in the cross-fire. Being able to kill allies who go in hacking at an enemy witout any mind to your position of where you're swinging the pointy end of your blade is annoying.
Click to expand...

It sure as hell IS annoying, lol. But at least I see the dead body of my ally at my feet and can reload; I just don't check the stats as often as I should, so when I see an uptick in my "murder" stat, then go back to see when it happened and find out it happened 30 hours and a dozens quests ago that I go "GAWK!" and accept the blemish on my reputation, always vowing to check the crime stats more often.

P.S. I always seem to forget this last step, lol, so my worst record after nearly 200 hours in a single Skyrim game happens to be 5 murders, 3 of which were deliberate and two were, "oops, who the hell died??" :lol: Sometimes I think Talos is just ****ing with me because I'm a Nord who doesn't worship him!
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...

I have no problem playing... well like it say we’re talking the fallout games I have no problem being Machiavellian or making the bad decisions or backing the characters who are “evil” but if it’s something like grand theft auto I can’t bring myself to shoot police officers or women or stuff like that.

It’s hard to describe but I do have held morals and feel bad straying from them
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...

I can't bring myself to play video games because I'm not a hopeless nerd :)

Seriously tho, I would - I just don't like them. Too many buttons on the controllers!
 
ecofarm said:
I was comfortable playing the Germans in Company of Heroes, but I suspect you're speaking of a more cinematic experience.
Click to expand...

Yeah....like a more story-driving and character-developing RPG type of game.
 
DiAnna said:
I always play a "good" character. Not perfect, mind you...I'm willing to sacrifice a mercenary-for-hire for the best piece of armor in Skyrim (I donate largely to one of the Nine Divines in penance), and have no problem accepting a contract to take out a bitch-on-wheels hag who abuses the children in her orphanage. Nonetheless, I try to get through an entire game with less than 5 "murders" to my name, although there are always 1 or 2 accidents that I can't figure out what happened, lol! The poor innocents probably got in the way of a careless dragon "shout"! :lol:

Dragon Age and Mass Effect trilogies, same thing. My character always strives to wear the white hat and be the "good" savior of whatever universe she inhabits. Since most RPGs usually have entirely different gaming experiences, quests, and cut-scenes for "good" and "evil", I have on occasion tried to go all "bad girl" just to get a different experience; it usually lasts less than 20 hours before I give it up. It's just no fun for me.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, the drive to get "all the loots" drove me to do things like cannibalism to get all the deadric items, rofl. Damn loot!
 
lurchadams said:
I can't bring myself to play video games because I'm not a hopeless nerd :)

Seriously tho, I would - I just don't like them. Too many buttons on the controllers!
Click to expand...

That's what PC games are for ;)
 
Fishking said:
I have to admit, the drive to get "all the loots" drove me to do things like cannibalism to get all the deadric items, rofl. Damn loot!
Click to expand...

:lol: I hear ya'. That's one thing I couldn't actually bring my character to do... but then again, the loot wasn't a sweet piece of armor that poisoned foes, made me ninja stealthy, and looked cool as hell either, lol! The cannibalistic bitch is one of the deliberate "murders" I have performed, actually. She creeped me out!
 
Many RPGs let you be evil. The Elder Scrolls, Baldur's gate, GTA. It's all about how you act, who you support.

There are consequences in those games for criminal act however. If every character hates you for consistently breaking the law and the law comes after you, this is not a glitch or a cheat. It works. Congratulations, you've succeeded in playing evil.
 
lurchadams said:
Yeah, again. I'm not getting all this "gamer jargon".

PC stands for "pretty cool", right?
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Personal computer. He's suggesting that it might be easier using a keyboard/mouse set-up.

I've tried. I need a controller. Using a keyboard for any game requiring quick reflexes is like trying to use some sort of alien device.
 
Just about all of the Grand Theft Auto series...
 
OrphanSlug said:
Just about all of the Grand Theft Auto series...
Click to expand...

yeah, it's tough to be a good guy in that game. i did enjoy spending hours leaping stolen vehicles over things, though. man, i had a lot of free time back then, lol.
 
DH Kirkwood said:
Personal computer. He's suggesting that it might be easier using a keyboard/mouse set-up.

I've tried. I need a controller. Using a keyboard for any game requiring quick reflexes is like trying to use some sort of alien device.
Click to expand...
I .very much a console/controller guy, and my husband works best on a PC with the keyboard and mouse. To each his own.

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk
 
Fishking said:
In any number of RPG games out there they give you plenty of options to do behave in all kinds of ways, while developing your character. One thing that I've never been able to do is play an evil/bad character. Yes, I feel guilty "killing" computer codes, stealing, ect...I just can't do it. Most of the times when I try I just end up feeling too guilty and restarting.

So how about it? Does anyone else have the same problem or can you play an evil character just fine?
Click to expand...
If I can, I tend to do one run through as good, and then a second as evil. One reason is to see all that they've programmed in and what the different choices result in. And in some cases it so that I can get the Achievements.

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk
 
DH Kirkwood said:
Personal computer. He's suggesting that it might be easier using a keyboard/mouse set-up.

I've tried. I need a controller. Using a keyboard for any game requiring quick reflexes is like trying to use some sort of alien device.
Click to expand...

Dude.

I know what a "PC" is.

I was joking.

Good morning :)
 
OrphanSlug said:
Just about all of the Grand Theft Auto series...
Click to expand...

Haha...that game holds exactly zero interest to me specifically because the entire premise of it would bother me to play.
 
maquiscat said:
If I can, I tend to do one run through as good, and then a second as evil. One reason is to see all that they've programmed in and what the different choices result in. And in some cases it so that I can get the Achievements.

Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yeah...I just can't do that. It won't happen.
 
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